Shifting Subjects: The Heroes of the West
This exhibition endeavors to display how the subject matter of western art has continually shifted since its very conception. Who the artists chose as their heroes has progressively evolved. The first hero was nature herself, sweeping landscapes awed early audiences and are still prominent in modern pieces. Then, the people took their turn. Though early depictions of Cowboys and Native Americans were often flawed in interpretation and depiction it is the heroic moments of perseverance within a harsh landscape that made them worthy of immortalization through art. Finally, wildlife stole the focus. The simple yet powerful balance animals create in nature harmonized the disruptiveness of people and emptiness of a landscape. Each of these subjects has created visual lessons on what the West is, was, and how it has changed today.
Shifting Subjects: The Heroes of the West is on view April 2 - May 31, 2026. Admission to the Ellen Noël Art Museum is always free.
Frank Gervasi (Italian/American 1895-1985), Untitled (Big Bend), N.D., oil on canvas, gift of Dr. James A Daves, 1980
Nathan Solano (American, 1950), Captured Audience, 2010, oil on canvas, gift of Mike and Linda Tilton, 2015
Nocona Burgess (American, 1969), Two Hatchet/Green Roach, Kiowa, 2013, acrylic on Canvas, gift of Mike and Linda Tilton, 2018
Craig Kosak (American, 1957), Equinox, 2008, oil on canvas, gift of Mike and Linda Tilton, 2015